Act-On Software vs Marketo vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud comparison

Act-On Software and Adobe are both solutions in the Marketing Automation category. Act-On Software is ranked #15, while Adobe is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.4. Act-On Software holds a 2.1% mindshare in MA, compared to Adobe’s 9.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Act-On Software users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Adobe users who would recommend it.

Act-On Software

Read 7 Act-On Software reviews

560 Views
493 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Marketo

Read 25 Marketo reviews

2,747 Views
2,225 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Read 62 Salesforce Marketing Cloud reviews

5,146 Views
3,551 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Act-On Software

Marketo

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Act-On Software, Marketo, and Salesforce Marketing Cloud based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe and others in Marketing Automation.

To learn more, read our detailed Marketing Automation Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Marketing Automation

March 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Marketing Automation category, the mindshare of Act-On Software is 2.1%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Marketo is 9.9%, down from 14.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Marketing Cloud is 11.9%, down from 23.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Marketing Automation Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Salesforce Marketing Cloud	11.9%
Marketo	9.9%
Act-On Software	2.1%
Other	76.1%

Marketing Automation

Featured Reviews

it_user82449

Business Systems Manager at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees

The adaptive nurturing, segmentation, multiple lead scoring rules, and simple CRM integration stood out the most.

The CRM integration with Act-On is better with Salesforce and had more value for sales representatives than it did with Microsoft Dynamics CRM; that was MS CRM's downfall. Act-On Anywhere is a nice feature for general users, but the tracking in CRM is lost, and Marketing team subject lines do not carry over on the email templates.

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Anika Gaur

Senior Digital Solutions Analyst at Rich Products

Effective lead management and useability with room for reporting improvements

Customer support could be more helpful. The reporting could be better, with more engaging reports and the ability to collaborate more objects, like opportunities. Incorporating AI features similar to tools like HubSpot and Salesforce account engagement would be beneficial. Additionally, Marketo should work on automating tools and updating the product since it looks similar to how it did five years ago.

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GauravSingh2

Senior Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Targeted email journeys have boosted campaign insight and now need better data access and support

I feel that Salesforce Marketing Cloud can be improved in how the data views are accessed; it would be better to have something more physical. With data extensions, you can view them directly, but for data views, it is very difficult as you can only send it out or load it into data extensions. Improvements can also be made in the connections to different external tools such as Azure or AWS. Customer support can be improved in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, as sometimes it is not clear what the issue is or how to approach solving it, and it also takes time to resolve issues.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It is now much easier for us to send and segment emails, analyze our results and make smarter decisions."

"Act-On has an outstanding customer support team and they escalate issues to their technical teams before the frustration level."

"Act-On is simple to use and it makes campaign development a breeze."

"Our organization was operating blindfolded before implementing Act-On."

"Before I joined, my company used a larger, more expensive but more popular software, and after switching to this, my team can still do everything it needs to for cheaper."

"One feature I like is the user interface. Compared to other tools I've used, it's much more friendly and easy to navigate. Additionally, it offers a wide range of features, which makes tasks like segmenting data much simpler."

"Marketo helps us easily segment and target the appropriate users for the relevant events."

"It is a very user-friendly solution. I'm mainly working on Design Studio, which is useful for companies in tracking repeat users. The progressive proofing is also useful. It is not available in other solutions."

"Automated customer outreach from sign up to upgrade"

"The main feature of Marketo is sending out emails, so that would be the most valuable feature."

"This solution gives me a qualified lead, it will drive your sales even faster."

"With the scoring and how we deploy it, we have a greater integration between Marketo and Salesforce, which allows our sales team to focus on people we believe are ready for conversations, rather than everyone they had to talk to before."

"The most valuable features of Marketo are its ease of use and flexibility."

More Marketo pros

"Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a stable solution."

"Overall, I would rate Salesforce Marketing Cloud a nine out of 10."

"This is a very powerful and scalable solution."

"Salesforce Marketing Cloud integrates with multiple systems seamlessly, enabling effective lead management."

"We have found the solution to be scalable."

"The Journey Builder, which has been around for a while and follows the steps that customers use, is the greatest tool that Salesforce has."

"I like the user interface it has a nice look and feel."

"You can schedule reports, there's a lot of supporting tools, and you have access to all that information."

More Salesforce Marketing Cloud pros

Cons

"One area of improvement would be ability to use dynamic content fields. It is available, but not to the fullest extent where it would help me."

"The CRM integration with Act-On is better with Salesforce and had more value for sales representatives than it did with Microsoft Dynamics CRM; that was MS CRM's downfall."

"For the moment, we migrated some of our processes to Marketo and implemented them there. We had some difficulties related to this."

"Wish it had a better user interface"

"I have encountered issues when I had to use filters repeatedly. It would have been helpful if I could duplicate them directly, instead of dragging them. Also, having an option to save filters for future use would have saved a lot of time, especially when dealing with multiple filters."

"Customer support could be more helpful."

"Marketo's reporting and dashboarding features could be better. Compared to other tools, the visualization options with charts and graphs seem somewhat limited."

"Adobe, the parent company, needs to improve on getting more information published to allow users to educate themselves on how to use the solution."

"Our experience with the renewal process has been frustrating. Marketo bakes a substantial price increase into each contract which has required renegotiation every year."

More Marketo cons

"It should contain artificial intelligence, in my opinion."

"Salesforce Marketing Cloud could improve by having more graphical options because a lot of tables are now only numbers and percentages and data."

"The pricing is a bit high."

"I've noticed on one-to-one leads, the customer objection option is not available."

"The response from the customer service team could be faster and the agents could be more knowledgeable."

"An additional feature needed would be better capacity for personalization."

"We'd like to see more integrations with third-party products."

"The main action I want to do in Salesforce Marketing Cloud is to export data into Excel and use it. My company may have that feature locked down, or if the Excel data exporting function still isn't available in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, that's the feature I want."

More Salesforce Marketing Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"It is expensive. We have a yearly license."

"The pricing is not cheap, but it's not that expensive either."

"Marketo's pricing depends on the number of contacts and the level of features you need. Compared to other platforms like Oracle Eloqua and Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Marketo is generally more affordable. Like other platforms, it offers different packages based on your needs."

"The solution is expensive compared to others."

"Marketo is too expensive for a small-sized company but more affordable for a larger-sized company."

"I'm not sure about the cost because I don't get into this aspect. Clients normally take care of that. I only know that it is costly, and I don't think there are any additional costs to the licensing."

"The initial pricing was excellent, but the pricing for renewals is not as good."

"The licensing cost usually depends on the users."

More Marketo pricing and cost advice

"The solution's pricing is very high and should be more flexible for smaller companies."

"Salesforce is an expensive solution."

"I don't know if my company pays for Salesforce Marketing Cloud monthly or yearly. It's a SaaS, so it's a recurring cost, but I have no information on its price."

"Salesforce Marketing Cloud is affordable, considering the significant improvements it brings to our campaign results."

"The solution is a bit expensive."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"We have two types of licensing. We have a yearly license for end users and we have a concurrent login for selling."

"Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a highly expensive solution, it needs to be less expensive. We are on an annual license to use the solution."

More Salesforce Marketing Cloud pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

12%

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	1

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	14
Large Enterprise	31

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Marketo?

One of the most important things about Marketo is its focus on GDPR compliance. It helps you follow GDPR and CAN-SPAM...

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What needs improvement with Marketo?

The user interface could be improved. I would like to see an updated UI for 2025.

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What is your primary use case for Marketo?

As a seasoned Marketo Expert with a decade of experience and a deep understanding of Adobe's ecosystem, I can confide...

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What do you like most about Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

Datorama is part of Salesforce Marketing Cloud, which is quite a valuable feature that provides customer analytics.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

I did not work on any pricing or implementation aspects but learned on my own when dealing with Revenue Cloud products.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

I feel that Salesforce Marketing Cloud can be improved in how the data views are accessed; it would be better to have...

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Comparisons

Oracle Eloqua vs Act-On Software

Compared 16% of the time

HubSpot Marketing Hub vs Act-On Software

Compared 13% of the time

SAS Marketing Automation vs Act-On Software

Compared 9% of the time

IMImobile IMIcampaign vs Act-On Software

Compared 8% of the time

SAP Marketing Cloud vs Act-On Software

Compared 6% of the time

More Act-On Software Competitors

HubSpot Marketing Hub vs Marketo

Compared 29% of the time

Oracle Eloqua vs Marketo

Compared 20% of the time

Pardot vs Marketo

Compared 5% of the time

SAS Customer Intelligence 360 vs Marketo

Compared 4% of the time

Teradata vs Marketo

Compared 1% of the time

More Marketo Competitors

HubSpot Marketing Hub vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Compared 16% of the time

Oracle Eloqua vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Compared 12% of the time

Zeta Marketing Platform vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Compared 6% of the time

Adobe Campaign vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Compared 5% of the time

BloomReach vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Compared 2% of the time

More Salesforce Marketing Cloud Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Marketing Automation

March 2026

Download Act-On Software product report

Buyer's Guide

Marketo

March 2026

Download Marketo product report

Buyer's Guide

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

March 2026

Download Salesforce Marketing Cloud product report

Also Known As

No data available

ExactTarget

Overview

Act-On Software is a marketing automation company delivering innovation that empowers marketers to do the best work of their careers. Act-On is the only integrated workspace that powers the customer experience from end-to-end, from brand awareness and demand generation, to retention and loyalty. With Act-On, marketers can drive better business outcomes and see higher customer lifetime value. Act-On is squarely focused on the success of its customers and offers consultant level quality with everyday customer support. Act-On Software has been recognized for its superior product and rapid business growth by Deloitte, Forbes, and Inc. Magazine. For more information, visit www.act-on.com.

Act-On Software

Marketo is an all-in-one marketing solution that was created by marketers for marketers. Founded in 2007, Marketo is branded as marketing software that is easy, powerful and complete.

Organizations have access to multiple marketing and sales tools when they use this solution, such as Marketing Automation, Consumer Engagement Marketing, Real-Time Personalization, and Marketing Management.

Adobe

Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a comprehensive marketing automation platform that enables businesses to create personalized and targeted marketing campaigns across multiple channels.

With its robust set of tools and features, marketers can easily manage and automate their email marketing, social media advertising, mobile messaging, and customer journey mapping.

The platform offers advanced segmentation capabilities, allowing marketers to segment their audience based on various criteria and deliver tailored messages to each segment.

Additionally, Salesforce Marketing Cloud provides powerful analytics and reporting features, enabling marketers to track the performance of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

With its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with other Salesforce products, Marketing Cloud offers a seamless and efficient marketing automation solution for businesses of all sizes.

Salesforce

Sample Customers

NYU, Tableau, Xerox, ASPCA, Lego Education, Hoopla, Avery Dennison and SolarWorld.

Marketo has a customer base of thousands of companies, including Sony, Citrix, BrightTALK, Curves International, HootSuite, Hyundai, SanDisk, and Samsung Electronics.

American Express, Financial Conduct Authority, KPN, Merck KGaA, Peterborough City Council, The Chapar, ADP, Financial Times, Stanley Black & Decker, SureFlap, Western Union, Philips

Find out what your peers are saying about Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe and others in Marketing Automation. Updated: March 2026.

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